Lake Okeechobee Bass Fishing Hot Spots

April and May on Lake Okeechobee in Florida can be a love-hate relationship for tournament anglers. This is the time that the majority of the largemouth bass have finished spawning and are relating to heavy grass areas and shallow water areas chasing fry and the shad spawn that usually takes place in April and May. For anglers preparing for tournaments in April and May on Lake Okeechobee, and are reading this blog, they’ll want to understand that the first key to success is to cover a lot of water on Lake Okeechobee and fish shad pattern baits. Here are just a few common ways anglers have been successful in the past on Lake Okeechobee in the month of April and May. Also, make sure to read to the end to see How Revital Outdoors Premium CBD Products help anglers fishing Lake Okeechobee.

How to Find Shad Spawn

The first advice to any tournament angler on Lake Okeechobee in the post-spawn is to try hard to find a shad spawn happening. Areas such as the Monkey Box and Harney Pond are known for producing shad spawns in these months. So, the fish will be relating to the thickest grass anglers can find in these areas, because this is where the shad going to spawn. What anglers are going to want to look for is the shad snapping at the top. It doesn’t disturb the surface too much, however, in larger groups, it is very easy to spot. And occasionally anglers will see the bass blowing the shad out of the water as they are chasing them. 

Bait Selection

The first bait option is a topwater bait. Anglers can either throw white frogs, spooks, or poppers to create that reaction strike on the surface. Anglers will want to cast very close to where the shad are spawning because that is where the bass will have their attention, so get right into the middle of them. White is best color option here because it mimics the shad colors perfectly. Anglers will also not want to be too aggressive with their retrieves. It is also a great idea to mix in long pauses during the retrieve. This is because that bass will often follow the bait and after a pause when working the bait again is when that topwater explosion will happen. If the fish blows the bait out of the water during the retrieve, keep working the bait back to the bait as often times that same fish will come back and blow up on that bait again.  

The next bait option for targeting a shad spawn on Lake Okeechobee is a white swimjig. This is probably one of the top producing baits on Lake Okeechobee. And a swimjig is literally something anglers can throw year-round. However, it really shines well, especially in a white patten, when the shad are spawning on Lake Okeechobee. Anglers will want to use craw style trailers because this will help the jig lift and stay close to the water’s surface. Craw style trailers also give off a lot of action. The key is to keep the swimjig near the surface and work in some pops and jerks of the bait. When shad get nervous, they will often times dart and move quickly. An angler will want to mimic this movement as much as possible, again the key here is to match the hatch and create that reaction strike.  

Finally, the last bait anglers should have on their deck when fishing a shad spawn on Lake Okeechobee is a fluke. There is nothing that mimics the shad or a dying baitfish in Lake Okeechobee that a fluke. Anglers will want to rig this bait Texas-rigged on a 4/0 hook and fish it weightless. This will give the fluke more action and keep it up near the water’s surface. This will also help anglers fish the bait over the top of the grass and be more weedless. One other key is a lot of times the Largemouth Bass in Okeechobee will want to swipe at this bait or stun it. So, when an angler feels the initial thump from the fish, they need to give a 3 to 4 second count before setting the hook.  

These are just a few options for fishing Lake Okeechobee in April and May, and during the shad spawn. Anglers will also want to cover a lot of water. Because when the shad are spawning, they will not necessarily stay in that area all day. During a heavy spawn, anglers may only get an hour of fishing in one area and then want to try and go locate the next group of shad spawning. Morning fishing during this time is extremely critical.  

How CBD Helps Anglers

When you’re fishing in Florida, one of the main things that you need to prepare for is the amount of sun and heat exposure that your skin will be privy to. Especially considering that the skin is the largest organ on the human body. Therefore, we recommend the Revital Outdoors Premium CBD Cream to help combat many ailments at one time. Packed with 250mg of CBD, our CBD Cream has an extremely moisturizing feeling and it works beyond skin deep. Simply squeeze a dime sized amount onto your hands or directly on the area causing inflammation. Feel free to use as much as you need throughout the day. If you’re wondering how CBD topicals interact with the skin to provide these results, check out this blog. We go into depth regarding the skin’s receptors and how CBD interacts with them.

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